Re-grading Panthers position groups on defense after 2021 season
By Noah Bryce
Carolina Panthers LBs
This group was a mixture of good and bad this season with some average sprinkled in for good measure. Fears of Shaq Thompson not being the answer on the outside were more than quieted as the veteran stood proud at the second level against the run and especially well against the pass. A true hybrid that the Carolina Panthers haven’t had since the likes of Luke Kuechly in the middle.
Speaking of Kuechly, the team once again tried out a new middle linebacker this season. Jermaine Carter is a great story and a good teammate, but the on-field performance was simply not up to snuff as a starting inside linebacker.
Lapses in coverage and an inability to shed blocks against the run limited his effectiveness and some rather poor communication lowered the effectiveness of the team as a whole. But trading Pro Bowler Denzel Perryman to the Las Vegas Raiders for nothing was definitely the right decision because of team culture right?
Possibly the brightest spot, however, came from the unlikeliest of spaces in little-known free agent Frankie Luvu. A former New York Jet that was a bubble player turned run-stopping, pass-rushing master once given the opportunity for more and more reps as the season progressed.
Luvu will likely be a full-time starter in this league next season and the Panthers can only hope it is with them.
- Preseason Grade: B+
- Final Grade: C+
This room is trending in the right direction, but finding a replacement for someone like Kuechly is proving to be as difficult as it sounds. The Panthers will once again go into the offseason searching for that player to bring back stability and fire to the middle.